A Retiree's Dog Days

I met Henry in the surgical waiting room at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Michigan. We shook hands, a fairly regular first-time greeting, quick, polite. I couldn’t read his face but he didn’t seem as surprised to run into me as I was to see him. Then he licked me. 

Black Labradors are friendly, but Henry lit up everything within10 feet. The woman holding his leash said, “He’s part of the hospital’s Pet Therapy program.” Her name was Helen, according to the name stitched on her pocket. “He’s an official employee of the Volunteer Services Department.” He even had a an "official employee" badge on his vest – it was attached to the leash and had a little badge that said, “Pet me.” So I did… and got another lick in return . 

Some kids about four or five years old spotted Henry and jumped all over him. His tail wagged a little faster but he didn’t seem at all bothered. Helen scratched his ear. “He's well trained, aren't you, Henry?”

As she told me her and Henry’s story I found out that Helen was retired and a volunteer who took Henry around to meet patients, employees and people like me – I was waiting while my wife was having surgery. Henry didn't leave my side, not even under attack by the kids. I think he sensed my tension. I have to say, just having him there was soothing. 

Helen took six weeks of classes to learn her job of handling Henry. “It’s the best volunteer experience I’ve had – and I’ve burned through a lot of them since I retired. I take him to patients in speech and physical therapy. I stop and talk when he runs into people like you who’re waiting – dogs can tell when you’re stressed, you know? Just having Henry around lowers patients’ blood pressure, makes them feel less lonely, puts everyone -- employees too -- in a good mood. Everyone knows him.”

As a recent retiree I had a few ideas about how and where to volunteer, but something like this

These Black Lab pups are in line for the extensive
training that will make them care dogs. 

hadn’t occurred to me. Helen said that she'd found a lot of potential jobs at Volunteer Match, an organization that matches retirees like me with jobs that I want -- and have the ability -- to do. It opened up an entirely new set of possibilities for me. I thanked her, gave Henry a good scratch under the chin and got a good-bye nose on my hand.

Max came out of surgery about an hour later. She was fine and has a few weeks of recovery ahead of her. And, thanks to Henry, I was fairly calm when I saw her. That, in turn, relieved her a bit. So  a little bit of Henry went a long way.

Among the things I learned from the experience is that there are more ways to enrich my retirement than I thought possible -- an old dog can learn new tricks.